Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park 28373...

Aliso &

Wood Canyons

Wilderness Park

28373 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Niguel

Park Information: (949) 923-2200 or www.ocparks.com

The park is open 7 a.m. to sunset daily all year for hiking,

bicycling and equestrian use. Parking is $2. No pets.

Special hiking programs can be arranged by calling Ranger Carroll

at (949) 923-2299. On Saturday and each second and fourth Saturday of

the month the ranger gives a free 30 to 45 minute Discovery Nature

Talk suitable for the entire family. Meet at noon at the park

entrance.

The Orange County Natural History Museum is located at the park

entrance, open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Information: (949) 831-3287.

Crystal Cove

State Park

8471 Pacific Coast Highway, Laguna Beach

Park Conditions: (949) 494-3539; Interpretive Programs: (949)

497-7647 www.crystalcovestatepark.com

The park is open daily all year, 6 a.m. to sunset, for hiking,

bicycling and equestrian use. The park includes backcountry, bluff

top and beach areas with access at different points. Parking $5. Dogs

are allowed only on paved paths above the beach.

Special Activities: Docent-led backcountry hikes are scheduled for

most Saturdays and Sundays at 9 a.m. Upcoming dates include Saturday

and Sunday. Hikes are 3 to 5 miles and last about two hours. Be sure

to bring water and wear hiking boots. Meet at El Moro Visitors Center

(Coast Highway and School-State Park stoplight). Join a tide pool

walk at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Meet at Pelican Point parking lot two

(Coast Highway and Newport Coast stoplight). Information: (949)

497-7647.

El Moro Visitors Center is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday and

Sunday and 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Crystal Cove Historic District Visitors Center is open 10 a.m. to

4 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Crystal

Cove Interpretive Assn. welcomes new volunteers. Call (949) 497-7648.

Irvine Ranch

Land Reserve

The Nature Conservancy (714) 832-7478 or irvineranch@tnc.org

Participants meet at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park Headquarters on

Laguna Canyon Road just south of the El Toro Road intersection. All

tours are free, but require reservations. Reservations for each

weekend’s activities close on Fridays at 2 p.m.

Special Activities: On Thursday and every third Thursday mountain

bikers meet for a 6- to 10-mile, two-hour ride in the Laguna Coast

Wilderness Park. On Saturday at 2 p.m. challenge yourself with an 8-

mile, 4- to 5-hour hike in Emerald Canyon. On Sunday, at 8 a.m. take

a two-mile, two- to three-hour easy walk in Laguna Laurel.

Laguna Coast

Wilderness Park

20101 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

(949) 923-2235 or www.ocparks.com, nonprofit support group Web

sites www.lagunacanyon.org and www.lagunagreenbelt.org.

Call the rangers to ask about special group hikes for schools,

scouts and other organizations and clubs. Parking is $2. No dogs.

Wilderness access: Willow Canyon Staging Area every Saturday and

Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., 20101 Laguna Canyon Road just south of El

Toro Road intersection. Open for hikers, equestrians and mountain

bicyclists on specified trails without guides.

Jim Dilley Staging Area every Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4

p.m. for hikers only on specified trails without guides. On Laguna

Canyon Road. Trails include Barbara’s Lake, the largest of the Laguna

lakes, Orange County’s only natural lakes.

Special Activities by Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. docent volunteers,

call (949) 923-2235 for reservations and information. At 8 a.m. every

Saturday join a guided hike through Laurel Canyon. Laguna Heights:

Open daily all year, 7 a.m. to sunset. Trailhead for West Ridge trail

and other trails into Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park.

Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. welcomes volunteers. Call (949) 497-8190

for more information.

* Activities compiled by Ellen Girardeau Kempler, LAGUNA CANYON

FOUNDATION, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to preserving,

enhancing and protecting Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and the

adjacent coastal canyon parks. For more information visit

www.lagunacanyon.org or call (949) 855-PARK (7275).